Abstract.--The genus Mimumesa Malloch from China is reviewed. A key
to the species is provided. Two new species, M. melanosomatica, sp. nov.
from Yunnan Province, China, and M. nonstriata, sp. nov. from Xinjiang
Autonomous Region, China, are described and illustrated, and three
species new to China are reported.

Key words: Crabronidae, Mimumesa, Hymenoptera, new species, China.

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The genus Mimumesa Malloch (1933) includes 29 species and 3
subspecies of small to medium size predatory solitary wasps in the
world, of which 5 species and 1 subspecies occur in the Palaearctic, 17
species in Nearctic, 2 species in Oriental, 1 species and 1 subspecies
in Neotropical, 3 species in both Palaearctic and Nearctic, and 1
species and 1 subspecies in both Palaearctic and Oriental regions (de
Beaumont 1937; Bohart and Menke 1976; Budrys 1990, 2001; Gussakovskij
1932, 1937; Lomholdt 1975; Lith 1948, 1949, 1959, 1965, 1974; Malloch
1933; Oehlke 1970; Rohwer 1910; Tsuneki 1954, 1959, 1967, 1972a, 1972b,
1974; Viereck 1901). In China, 2 species and 1 subspecies of the genus
have been reported previously (Budrys, 2001; Gussakovskij, 1937;
Lomholdt, 1975; Lith, 1949; Tsuneki, 1959). In the course of a study of
the fauna of Mimumesa from China, two new species and three species new
to China were discovered. A key to the Chinese Mimumesa is provided, the
new species are described, and the species new to China are reported
below.

ETYMOLOGY: The name, melanosomatica, derived from the Greek melan-
(=black) + Greek somat (=body), refers to the largely black body, one of
the main recognition characters of the species.

DISTRIBUTION: China: Yunnan.

DISCUSSION: This new species can be distinguished from the related
M. littoralis (Bondroit) and all other species of Mimumesa by the
following combination of characters: antennal tyloides with a unique
shape in male (Fig. 2I; Fig. 3C); male genitalia with of unique shape
(Fig. 2L; Fig. 3F); epicnemium with very shallow, small depression
anteriorly (Fig. 2J; Fig. 3D); POD: OOD: OCD with different ratio;
petiole longer than hind femur or tibia; antenna beneath and leg black,
and different body coloration.

35: 35; dorsomedial side with two slender carinae; lateral side
with two somewhat conspicuous longitudinal carinae; ventral side with
two slender longitudinal carinae, without median keel. Gastral terga and
sterna shiny, without or with fine punctures. Paramere of genitalia with
long, dense setae apically, with an acuate angle interolaterally (Fig.
4D).

ETYMOLOGY: The name, nonstriata, derived from Latin prefixe non-
(=absent) + Latin striatus, feminine striata (=striate), refers to
vertex without transverse ridges, which is one of the main recognition
characters of the species.

DISTRIBUTION: China: Xinjiang.

DISCUSSION: The male of this new species can be distinguished from
the related M. unicolor (Vander Linden) and all other species of
Mimumesa by the following combination of characters: antenna beneath
dark brown to black; male genitalia with unique shape (Fig. 1R; Fig.
4D); antennal tyloides with unique shape (Fig. 10; Fig. 4B); vertex with
sparse punctures, without transverse ridges; POD: OOD: OCD = 10: 11: 10;
PL: LTI:

HLL: HTL = 40: 25: 35: 35.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Professor Yanru Wu (Institute of Zoology,
Academia Sinica, Beijing), Professor Chikun Yang (China Agricultural
University, Beijing), Professor Lianfang Yang (Nanjing Agricultural
University), Professor Junhua He and Professor Xuexin Chen (Zhejiang
University, Zhejiang Province), Professor Hong Wu (Zhejiang Forestry
College, Zhejiang Province), Professor Yalin Zhang (Northwest Scientific
and Technical University of Agriculture and Forestry), and Dr. Zaifu Xu
(South China Agricultural University), for providing us with specimens
deposited in the insect collections under their care. We also thank to
Dr. Wojciech J. Pulawski (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco,
California) for sending us many valuable references. This study was
funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30460025,
30660105), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China
(2006FY120100), and the Science and Technology Department of Yunnan
Province (2003RC01).

Lith, J. P. van. 1965. Contribution to the knowledge of the
Indo-Australian Psenini (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). Part III. New species
of the subgenera Psen Latreille and Mimumesa Malloch and a review of
East-Asiatic and Indo-Australian Psen Latreille, s.l. Zoologische
Verhandelingen 73:1-80.

Rohwer, S. A. 1910c. Descriptions of new psenid wasps from the
United States (Hymenoptera, Psenidae). Proceedings of the Entomological
Society of Washington 12: 99-104.

Tsuneki, k. 1954. Descriptions and records of wasps of the families
Chrysididae and Sphecidae of Japan (Hymenoptera). Memoirs of the Faculty
of Liberal Arts, Fukui University (Series II, Natural Science) Part
5:37-54.

Tsuneki, K. 1959. Contributions to the knowledge of the Cleptinae
and Pseninae Faunae of Japan and Korea (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae and
Sphecidae). Memoirs of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Fukui University
(Series II, Natural Science) 9: 1-78.